TEHRAN- Mohammad Ali Elhaminia, who was the oldest master of tilework at the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in the city of Mashhad, has died at the age of 86.

Master Elhaminia started working from the age of 12 under the supervision of the tilework masters of the time such as Gholam Hossein Bajestani and Gholam Hossein Panahi, CHTN reported on Monday.

He started practicing the art as a student of late master Khoshdast, the master architect of the holy shrine when he was only 14.

Tilework of various parts of the holy shrine including Allahverdi Khan Dome, Balasar Mosque, Old Museum, and central library are among his credits.

His name, which is one of the prominent masters in the field of tiling, has been engraved on the tiles of the holy shrine of Imam Reza. He was also the head of the traditional architecture unit of the maintenance organization of the holy shrine.

The tilework of a Persian mosque, shrine, or religious place in general, delicately combines various levels of arabesque work with diverse styles geometric patterns, recalling both the perfection of the calligraphy and symmetrical shapes soaked in vivid natural colures and a glazed finish.  

Before the coronavirus puts everything on lockdown, Mashhad played host to thousands of travelers and pilgrims who come from various Iranian cities, neighboring countries, and even across the globe to visit the imposing, massive holy shrine complex of Imam Reza (AS), the eighth Imam of the Shia Muslims.

Almost 40 million Iranian pilgrims and travelers visited the city during the last Iranian calendar year (ended March 19).

ABU/MG